Resilient tire.



A. A.-CUYRRY. RESILIENT TIRE. APPLIOA'IION Hmmy 11111.19, 1911.

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Patented July 4, 1911.

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ALFRED A. CURRY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOEDWIN B. KNOWLES AND ONE-TWENTIETH T0 CHARLES S. CANFIELD, BOTH 0FBRIDGE- PORT, CONNECTICUT.

. RESILIENT TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 19, 1911.

Patented July 4, 1'911. Serial No. 603,485.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED A. CURRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Resilient Tires, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple, durable andinexpensive resilient tire for vehicles, more especially motor cars andtrucks, which shall have to the fullest extent the yielding and easyriding qualities of pneumatic tires without any of the objections thatare inherent in pneumatic tires.

Vith these and other objects in view I have devised the simple and novelresilient tire, of which the following description in connection withthe accompanying drawing is a specication, reference characters beingused to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my novel tire as in use on awheel, portions of the wheel and tire being broken away to show thestructure; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrows.

10 denotes a wheel which may be of any ordinary or preferredconstruction. Outside the felly of the wheel and rigidly secured theretoas by bolts 13 is an inner rim 14 provided with angular notches 15. Ipreferably use a channel rim and form the notches in the side flangesthereof. Resting upon the inner rim and unsecured thereto are roundedU-shaped springs 16. Each alternate spring is inverted and lies betweenthe contiguous springs, the ends of the springs being turned outward andtapered down to a relatively thin edge. The springs are all alike andthe inverted springs fit within the contiguous springs, their surfacesbeing in contact, as clearly shown.

17 denotes an outer rim, preferably an outwardly facing channel rim,which rests upon the arches of alternate springs and upon the outwardlyturned ends of the inverted springs but is unsecured to the springs.

18 denotes the tread which is secured to the outer rim as by bolts 20which pass through the tread and also through the flanges of the rim.The tread may be made of any durable and relatively inexpensive materialother than metal, for example fiber, a rubber compound or any analogousplastic material that can be molded to form.

19 denotes ring-shaped side plates which extend to or approximately tothe edges of the flanges of the outer rim and preferably below the baseof the inner rim, the tread being formed to overlie the outer edges ofthe side plates as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The side plates are shown assecured to the flanges of the outer rim by bolts 20 which also passthrough the tread. These bolts are-secured in place by nuts 21 leavingthe parts readily removable.

22 denotes dogs which are pivoted to the respective side plates, as at23, and engage the angular notches 15 in the inner rim. It should benoted that the dogs carried by the respectiveside plates extend inopposite directions as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the dogs on the nearside engaging the notches in the near flange of the inner rim and thedogs on the far side engaging the notches in the far flange of said rim.In order to render the action of the dogs practically noiseless whenthey drop out of the notches in the inner rim and against the outer rimas at the bottom in Fig. 1, I provide dove-tail notches in the backs ofthe dogs and insert therein pads or blocks 24 of leather, rubber or anysuitable noiseless material.

In use, the weight and all shocks and blows are taken up by the springswhich yield more or less, depending of course upon the weight carriedand the speed and roughness of the roadway.

It will be understood from the drawing that while the inner rim isrigidly secured to the wheel the outer rim is connected to the inner rimby the dogs only and is free to oscillate relatively to the inner rim,the amount of oscillation depending of course upon the yield of thesprings, and the extreme amount of oscillation being limited by theengagement of one set of dogs or the other with the forward ends of theangular notches in the corresponding side of the inner rim. Theresiliency of the wheel, in brief, is produced by the yielding of thesprings and the oscillatory movement of the tread, outer rim and sideplates relatively to the inner rim.

In order to obtain access to the springs for any purpose whatever, it issimply necessary to remove nuts 21 and the near side plate as seen inFig. l.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

l. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim, a series of disconnectednested complelnental U-shaped springs alternately inverted and restingon said inner rim, an outer rim resting on and supported by saidsprings, means carried by the outer rim for detachably engaging theinner rim to secure the outer rim and permit oscillation thereofrelative to the inner rim, said means being located to one side of saidsprings.

2. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim, a series of U-shapedsprings alternately inverted resting thereon, an outer rim resting onthe springs, side plates secured to the outer rim and dogs pivoted tothe re spective side plates and engaging the inner rim, wherebyoscillation of the outer rim is permitted when the springs yield.

3. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim having notches, a series ofU-shaped springs alternately inverted resting on said rim, an outer rimrest-ing on said springs, side plates secured to the outer rim and dogspivoted to the respective side vplates and engaging the notches in theinner rim, the dogs on the respective side plates extending in oppositedirections.

4. A resilient tire comprising an outwardly facing channel rim havingnotches in the flanges, a series of springs resting on said rim, anouter rim resting on the springs, side plates secured to the outer rimand oppositely extending dogs pivoted to the respective side plates andengaging notches in the inner rim.

5. A resilient tire comprising an inner channel rim having notches, aseries of U- shaped springs alternately inverted resting `on said rim,an outer rim resting on the springs, side plates and a tread secured tothe outer rim and opposltely extending dogs pivoted to the side platesand adapted to engage the inner rim.

6. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim, a series of U-shapedspringsalternately inverted resting thereon, the outer ends of saidspringsbeing outwardly turned and beveled, an outer rim rest-ingv on thearches of alternate springs and on the beveled ends of the invertedsprings and means for securing the outer rim and permitting oscillationthereof relatively to the inner rim.

7. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim, a series of U-shapedsprings alternately inverted resting thereon, the outer ends of saidsprings being outwardly turned and beveled, an outer rim resting on thearches of alternate springs and on the beveled ends of the invertedsprings, side plates secured to the outer rim and oppositely extendingdogs pivoted to the respective side plates and adapted to engage theinner rim.

8. A resilient tire, comprising an inner rim, a series of springsresting thereon but not attached thereto, an outer rim resting on thesprings but not attached thereto, side plates secured to the outer rimand dogs pivoted to the respective side plates and adapted to engagethe'inner rim.

9. A resilient tire comprising an inner rim, a series of U-shapedsprings alternately inverted resting thereon, an outer rim resting onthe springs, side plates securedto the outer rim and dogs pivoted to therespective side plates and engaging the inner rim, said dogs beingprovided on their backs with pads of noiseless material which engage theouter rim When the dogs drop out from the notches.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

ALFRED A. CURRY.

litnesses: Y

A. M. VVoosTER, S. W. ATHERTON,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

